It has a nice feature which the excellent but expensive Moog Etherwave doesn't have - a volume control. I think on this one, the volume know adjusts the sensitivity of the volume antenna and the gain control controls the overall loudness of the the output. The latter is the one the Moog Etherwave lacks. IMHO, it is essential._________________--Howard
my music and other stuff

Why not use a volume pedal on the line output? Your hands would be busy there-mining the theremin anyway. You know.. same way a volume pedal was and still is standard when you play any serious synth._________________A Charity Pantomime in aid of Paranoid Schizophrenics descended into chaos yesterday when someone shouted, "He's behind you!"

You wouldn't use the volume pedal while you play the Theremin; you use the volume antenna for that.

You need the volume knob to turn down the volume the Theremin when you walk away from it, otherwise it will start howling. If you don't have a volume (gain) knob, you have to turn it off. Even when you hold the volume off with the antenna, turning it off makes a pop noise. Same thing when you turn it back on. Of course you could add a volume pedal, but that is a waste and a lot to carry around.

A gain knob is good too, so you can adjust the max volume. The antenna is used for articulation._________________--Howard
my music and other stuff

The Etherwave Pro does indeed have a CV out - but at almost $1,500 it's out of the budget range of most of us. When I bought mine it was $995.00, but by nine months later, the price had skyrocketed.

The PAIA Theremax has the CV out, too. And it's REALLY affordable. The whole thing (including the wooden case that they sell separately) will cost just under $200.00. BUT--you have to assemble it yourself. It comes in a box and all of the parts are loose in a plastic bag. Sorting them took me about five hours, then three days to build the electronic guts, a half hour to carefully asseble the case, then five days to put a nice finish on the case with successive layers of varnish, sanding, 2nd coat varnish, sanding, etc. If you've got the time, it will give you what you need.

I haven't tried it yet, but the Kees Enkelaar theremin (start of this thread) comes highly recommended from many experienced theremin players - and is excellent value for money for its quality. A good alternative to the standard Moog Etherwave - but remember you may have to pay an import tax on it as it comes from Tasmania, Australia (thus the Aboriginal photography).

I guess it depends what you want your theremin to do, but the PAIX instrument is appalling quality as a theremin - using it as a controller for another synth is probably the extent of its uses as a musical instrument. it's only a theremin in as much as a banjo is a stratocaster.

I guess I'm lucky because I just got an Etherwave Pro theremin - but I haven't tried out the CV on it yet (I'm a technophobe!) - can anyway tell me what it's for or how I can use it? i have an ARP Odyssey synth that's also got CV in and Out on it.

Volume dial on a theremin - this is for adjusting the volume in a certain space - e.g. 9 O clock gives you 10Db at 6inches from the expression loop, 12 Oclock gives you 10Db at 15 inches from the expression loop etc. If you want the output to be louder you can either turn up the volume dial, or play further from the expression loop where the sound will be louder.

One of the best features to have on a theremin is a mute - this lets you switch on the instrument to warm it up or leaves it on while you're not playing. (theremins take 5 - 30 minutes to warm up depending on age/quality. Switching them on and off during a gig is not a good idea). With the Moog Etherwave you have to drap your jack lead over the expression loop to mute it. This is the only real negative point about the standard Etherwave. The Etherwave Pro has a mute, as does the TVox Tour._________________www.hypnotique.net
Tip of the day: KILL ALL YOUR ENEMIES

...using it as a controller for another synth is probably the extent of its uses as a musical instrument. it's only a theremin in as much as a banjo is a stratocaster.

Ouch... I'm a banjo player. They are real instruments too, and people that play them are real musicians. Bela Fleck is my idol.

Quote:

One of the best features to have on a theremin is a mute - this lets you switch on the instrument to warm it up or leaves it on while you're not playing. (theremins take 5 - 30 minutes to warm up depending on age/quality. Switching them on and off during a gig is not a good idea). With the Moog Etherwave you have to drap your jack lead over the expression loop to mute it. This is the only real negative point about the standard Etherwave. The Etherwave Pro has a mute, as does the TVox Tour.

Yes, that's what I meant when I said it lacks a volume control in my post above. Certainly someone has come up with a mute switch mod for the Etherwave. I never thought of drapeing the cord over the expression antenna. Good idea. _________________--Howard
my music and other stuff

I guess I'm lucky because I just got an Etherwave Pro theremin - but I haven't tried out the CV on it yet (I'm a technophobe!) - can anyway tell me what it's for or how I can use it? i have an ARP Odyssey synth that's also got CV in and Out on it.

The CV is Control Voltage. When you operate the Theremin, you are creating a continuous and variable current that goes from -5 to +5 volts. Some analogue synths have CV ins which will modulate some aspect of the synth. It could be pitch, wave form, filter cutoff, filter resonance, etc. The CV has been compared to invisible hands which will move the controls it is sent to. I'm not familiar with the Arp, so I don't know what CV ins it has or voltage it requires. But the Etherwave would be an amazing tool with the Synth. You could also use your Etherwave's CVs to control a Moog Moogerfooger low pass filter. That filter (MF101) really goes well with the Etherwave. It gives it some great lows and depth. When you start modulating it with the CV it can get pretty wild. You can modulate the Cutoff, Envelope and mix via the Etherwave._________________Mark Mahoney
Kingsport, Tennessee
http://www.reverbnation.com/markmahoneywww.cdbaby.com/cd/markmahoneywww.cdbaby.com/cd/mmahoneympeckhttp://cdbaby.com/cd/mmahoneympeck2http://www.limitedwave.com/subterraneous/

Some analogue synths have CV ins which will modulate some aspect of the synth. It could be pitch, wave form, filter cutoff, filter resonance, etc. The CV has been compared to invisible hands which will move the controls it is sent to. I'm not familiar with the Arp, so I don't know what CV ins it has or voltage it requires. But the Etherwave would be an amazing tool with the Synth.

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to have to have an experimental session with all my new toys. I seem to find nowadays that the more money and stuff I have as I get older, the less fun I get from 'playing' with it all - and sometimes I don't even know how half of it works! I remember when I was 13 how many different sounds I could try and get from an unamplified bass guitar. Those were golden days...

Quote:

You could also use your Etherwave's CVs to control a Moog Moogerfooger low pass filter. That filter (MF101) really goes well with the Etherwave. It gives it some great lows and depth. When you start modulating it with the CV it can get pretty wild. You can modulate the Cutoff, Envelope and mix via the Etherwave.

That's a great way to emulate real 50s sci-fi sounds. Can I recommend a rather superb artists The Man From Uranus (www.manfromuranus.com) who does exactly this with Theremin and Moogerfoogers. His music is magic.

And no disrepect to banjos. Only that they are unlike swish electric guitars. Geoff Love Duelling Banjos is in my personal record collection..._________________www.hypnotique.net
Tip of the day: KILL ALL YOUR ENEMIES

I seem to find nowadays that the more money and stuff I have as I get older, the less fun I get from 'playing' with it all - and sometimes I don't even know how half of it works! I remember when I was 13 how many different sounds I could try and get from an unamplified bass guitar. Those were golden days...

Yes I remember that .. like being 13 I mean ... but the good news is that nowadays things simply seem to work, except for batteries and cables maybe ...

Anyway I'm glad, I guess, you made your CD at a somewhat later age _________________Jan

That theremin pictured is definitely a "Kees." I purchased one about a year ago. He builds them to order. From what I understand, the "guts" ( all the circuitry) is that of what's referred to as the JAYCAR theremin.

I bought it solely for the reason that Kees Enkhelar will build it EITHER with an AC power supply, or he'll ourfit it so that it runs on a single 9v battery.

That's what hooked me -- the battery. I wanted a theremin that could be played in environments where an electrical outlet is absent.

With a battery powered amp, a battery powered CD player, and the battery powered theremin, I'm able to play on the streets of Manhattan, in any location I choose. Did it yesterday in Union Square Park. It's a hoot and a half!

Now, as for it's sound -- even though the waveform knob LOOKS the same as the one on a standard Moog Etherwave, it actually has only two settings -- it clicks into either "saw" or "sine" position, without the ability to vary the tone at all. While it's serviceable, I far prefer the sounds of Moog theremins. However, outside amid all the city noises, it's just fine. Playing outdoors for passersby is hardly a subtle enterprise. There's tons of noise to compete with.

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